Iowa State students may be gaining a new Engineering Teaching and Research Center, but they will soon be losing the tennis or sand volleyball courts north of Beyer Hall.

Dean Morton, university architect, said some of the tennis courts and sand volleyball courts have been removed for the installation of a utility line.

“Eventually as construction of the new building begins, all courts will be removed,” he said.

Construction of the Engineering Teaching and Research Center, he said, is scheduled to begin sometime in the spring.

“It is our intention to have replacement courts done before we start construction,” Morton said.

Kathy Brown, campus planner, said the university is in the process of locating an alternative site for the courts, but as of yet has not yet found one.

“Finding a site for the courts is essential because we use them for academics, competition and recreation. All three of these are important,” Brown said.

Morton said he cannot guarantee functional courts will be available all the time.

“We will also be upgrading the tennis courts south of the Physical Education Building and adding two more courts,” Morton said. He said he hopes “all the magic can be pulled together” so the courts will last.

“We will make an all-out attempt to construct them to last,” he said.